'Hard to see it as an error': Mary Fowler recalls being gifted bananas upon departure from French club

Mary Fowler did not have a lengthy stay at French club Montpellier and a shocking gift upon her departure prompted her to consider quitting the sport for good.

At the age of 17, Fowler made the move to France, where she stayed for two seasons before signing on with Manchester City in the Women's Super League.

The star Australian's departure from Montpellier appeared seamless, although she has now revealed that she was presented with bananas as a farewell gift from the club.

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Other players who were on the way out of the club were presented with a bouquet of flowers at the ceremony that was held following Montpellier's last home game that year.

"When we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn't received any flowers ... a few of the girls laughed about it and then one of the other players came over and handed my friend and me some bananas," Fowler recalled of the presentation in her new book In Bloom.

"Not receiving flowers was one thing, but as two of only six black girls in the squad, receiving bananas wasn't something I could laugh off and forget about.

"Was it an accident? Was it the only thing in the dressing room she could give us? Did she mean well by it? I've tried to justify it in many different ways.

"But when I add in the many other times at the club when we were left feeling a similar way, it was hard to see it as merely a simple error."

Fowler went on to note that she has revisited the incident with Weerden in recent times, but admits she wished she did something more at the time.

"We just sat there holding those bananas," she wrote.

"Moments like this made it hard for us to not notice we were being treated differently to other players."

That incident was not a one-off act at the club, with Fowler and Weerden scolded for driving home from practice together due to the Australian not having her license.

Fowler also revealed that a physiotherapist accused her of making up chest pain at one point during her tenure as it had previously been dismissed by a club doctor.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing," she wrote.

"Frustrated, I told him I wasn't making it up, that I could never make up something that could be related to my heart."

Following that encounter with the team physio, Fowler found herself in a heated discussion that ultimately led to her learning how to stand up for herself.

The superstar midfielder has not shied away from sharing the realities of being a professional athlete, with her candid discussions about her struggles with mental health, self harm and depression earning praise and support from the football community.

Fowler remains on the sidelines from all levels of football as she continues to recover from an ACL injury. She is expected to return in the new year.

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